Sakura Jinzen (Cherry Blossom Sword Meditation) [CLOSED]

The young man walked down the path, hearing nothing aside from the surrounding area. The cherry blossom trees let loose many pink leaves, which began to fall to the ground in a slow, elegant manner. The young man smiled a small bit as he watched this beautiful display, as it was a somewhat rare sight, seeing sakura blossoms bloom. He made his way towards a beautiful blue lake, the water making gentle trickling sounds as the water flowed. Henrex took a deep breath, letting out a very quiet sigh as he stretched, quietly groaning as his bones cracked. He looked toward the water, and could see his reflection, clear as day. He slowly pulled the scarf off of his face, revealing his badly scarred left eye, and the tattoo-like markings on his face, which continued even under his shihakusho.

He slowly pulled his shihakusho off, revealing his midsection, and the continuation of the tattoo markings, which covered his entire midsection. He sighed once more, and let his shihakusho drop to the ground, making a silent noise when it hit, revealing the blue jeans he wore underneath. He drew his Zanpakutō, Chiya, from his side, and looked at the silver, gleaming blade. His eyes narrowed to...almost a look of sadness. He sat down on the ground, crossed legged, and placed the sword on his lap, then started to close his eyes.

"Well then.....shall we get started?"

His eyes shut fully, immersing himself into the inner world of his Zanpakutō spirit....a cemetery. The scene was very depressing, with unmarked graves lining the area, making a sort of aisleway, with graves to his left and right in perfectly organized rows. He looked up, seeing a young man in front of him, a sword at his side, with only the hilt and pommel of the sword sticking out of the black cloak the figure wore. Henrex approached him and bowed to him, to which the young man returned the bow. Both of them stood straight, momentarily after the bowing to each other. The young man slowly reached towards the hood of his cloak, which caused the sleeve to fall down to his elbow, revealing similar tattoo markings that Henrex had. He pulled down the hood, showing his crimson eyes, and depressed stare. Henrex looked right back at him int he same way.

"It's been a while....hasn't it, Chiya?"

Chiya sighed and nodded slightly, his face not changing from the depressed stare. He looked at Henrex with a somewhat sad stare, and reached for the sword at his side, as did Henrex. Chiya held the sword with both hands, while Henrex only held it with, strangely, one hand. Chiya sighed once more and spoke, even his voice having a sad, depressing tone.

"It has indeed....Master."

Henrex held his sword at the ready, while Chiya simply held his in front of him, as if a young child were defending himself. Henrex dashed forward, his sword pointed forward, and clashed against his Zanpakutō spirit, both of the swords letting out a clang, as the sound echoed out through the area like a tuning fork. While Henrex battled with his Zanpakutō inside his inner world....he was unaware of what was happening around him....in the normal world.....

It was so quiet. The forests around the Rukongai came in two flavours, dangerous or beautiful. This was indeed the beautiful part of one of these forests. The path was lined with dark, almost black, barked trees. The branches lacking leaves, but covered in small, 5 petaled flowers. The flowers ranged from pure white to a light pink. They were all "sakura" trees. While commonly associated only with cherry blossoms many other trees did partake in the blooming. Plums, cherries, peaches, etc, all bloomed at this time, but the majority of the trees in this area were indeed the traditional Japanese cherry.

From time to time a gentle breeze would come through and blow some of the petals from the flowers and through the air, creating a small rain of them through the path.

Zen, a lithe man with silver hair, walked through the petal covered path. He wore a white, long sleeve, button down shirt, black semi-formal pants, and black polished shoes. It was fairly odd, especially since he was a member of the Gotei 13. Third seat, Squad 5. Former Captain of Squad 13, but the latter was centuries ago. He didnt wear the traditional shihakusho, they just werent his style. In the past they were, but not anymore.

The forest was so quiet. Quiet enough that his improved hearing let him hear for miles around. He could hear the nature. There werent many, if any, animals in these forests. He could hear the breeze, the rushing water, and then, something very quiet. He heard the sound of cloth hitting the ground. Something no one would be able to hear. Someone else was out there. WEll who could blame them. It was beautiful, and quiet, perfect for meditation.

Zen calmly walked in the direction of the sound. Reaching it in a few minutes. There was no rush. That sound couldnt have come from something terrible happening, and if it was, better not make the situation worse by just showing up there. As he got to the clearing around the lake, he was amazed by its beauty. The lakes in this realm were always so amazing, so pure, untouched by the terrible hands of man.

Looking around he saw someone sitting on the ground. The man was so pale, and his body was covered in black tattoos. He didnt really recognize this man, but his spirit pressure felt familiar. Zen noticed that the man had a sword on his lap, no doubt that this man was preforming a Jinzen.

Speaking of spiritual pressure, Zen's bathed the area. The strength of a captain. He wasnt trying to be threatening, just protective. While this area was more or less safe performing JInzen alone wasnt a bright idea, someone could easily catch you off guard and kill you. He walked to the front of the man and looked at his face. Even it didnt look familiar. The person didnt feel like a new arrival, in fact they felt older than Zen. He must have at least seen this man before.

Henrex continued to clash against his Zanpakutō spirit, with Chiya's attempts to block seeming...lazy. His blocking was getting slower, with every attack he made getting weaker. He knew Chiya was really not in the mood for combat, and he could feel the vibe coming from him. Henrex stopped his assault of hits and froze, his breathing getting heavy and his eyes widening from surprise.

"Wait...something isn't right....I can feel an insane amount of spiritual pressure from the real world.....someone is near me....

Henrex bowed to his Zanpakutō spirit, who returned it, the man's face not changing from his sad, depressing face. Henrex sheathed his sword, and shuddered, unsettled by the massive spiritual pressure that he could feel, even within the depths of his inner world. It felt familiar though....although he was too unsettled from the weight of this person's energy, he couldn't think straight.

"This spiritual pressure....it makes my skin crawl....it makes me want to run and hide...."

Henrex grabbed his arms, wrapping himself around...well, himself. He looked toward the black sky of his inner world, the dark clouds slowly moving across the sky. He nodded off Chiya, then closed his eyes, returning to the normal world. He felt nothing as he descended the plane between his inner world and the normal world, but he as he traveled back, he could feel the spiritual pressure become more and more clear. It felt like a Gotei captain's....but he couldn't be sure. He had to get back there as soon as possible. For all he knew, it could be a species he didn't know, who had just found a sweet piece of easy prey. His worry continued as he woke up from the dream-like state of Jinzen.

When he did, he found himself staring into the eyes of a silver haired man, who looked younger than Henrex himself, but he had the aura and authority of a captain. He reeled back, snatching his sword off his lap and leaping onto his feet, keeping his sword in one hand. He soon realized that his shihakusho was off, and his entire body was exposed, his pale skin, the tattoo-like markings, and his scars. He quickly took a breath, composing himself, then asked a simple, yet important question to the silver haired stranger.

"Who....are you?"

Stood upright as he crossed his arms and shook his head at the shinigami. "Didnt they teach you in the Acadeny to never try and perform jinzen without a look out? For someone older than me I would expect better." he said before continuin. "My name is Zen. I'm currently the Third seat of Squad 5. But I am certain by my pressure you can guess who I was in the past."

He took a good look at the man that was now standing and alert. His body did not look familiar, but his eyes did. After thinking for a moment to put pieces together he sort of realized who the other man was. "You're Henrex arent ya?" he said. He didnt remember meeting the man before, he was a quiet one and was always covered up. Thats why he only realized who it was once he saw those black eyes.

A stronger breeze blew through as a blizzard of petals was loosened from the trees and swirled around them.

When the petals cleared Zen was standing in the middle of the lake. "Its a perfect day to meditate and connect with your Zanpakutō Spirit. But you cant let that be a false sense of security. These forest may be calm, but things might live in them. You were lucky I was the one that found you." Zen didnt mean to scold someone that was older than him, but Henrex did make a fairly substantial mistake.

Changing the subject rather quickly then said "You look very different when you are arent covering all of your body."

Henrex quickly, using a Shunpo to dash forward, snatching up his shihakusho, then back to where he was standing previously, then puts it back on, as well as putting on a scarf that would cover his nose, mouth, and left eye. He quickly sheathed his sword in a single fluid motion, then stood up straight.

"...Since you found this place, I'll leave. I can find somewhere else."

He started to walk away, but stopped after a few steps. His eyes flashed blue momentarily, then his Cyberbrain began to search through his database, looking for the name "Zen", and searching with it, was a full visual of him. After a few seconds of searching, he was not surprised by the results.

SCANNING COMPLETE. RESULTS: NEGATIVE. UNKNOWN MALE SHINIGAMI.

Henrex turned around, his eyes not changing from the color of blue when his Cyberbrain activated, and looked at him, slightly curious on how this "Zen" person knew him. He did another scan with his Cyberbrain, but the results were the same. Negative. Henrex had never seen, and/or interacted with this person.

"You....are not showing up in my database. I have never interacted with you. How could you possibly know me?"

Kenta figured today was a good day as any to travel in the wilderness of rukongai, having never really visited. No other place seemed better for meditation and a deep travel into ones own soul and mind. All Kenta brought with him was his clothes, his Zanpakutō, and a willingness to find himself. He had been told by a rukongai citizen that there was a lake near the cherry blossoms that had to be seen. So it was decided that he would come to this lake to sit, contemplate, and meditate. Walking through the lush green forest towards the glimmering lake, he felt immense spiritual pressure. Having just left the academy most reiatsu felt wild to him, but this ping was special. He knew there was a strong presense near by, and his bliss quickly turned to concern. He decided to just let it go as he walked further towards the lake. As he cleared the trees and got closer, he saw two shinigami talking by the lake. He saw that one of the two were indeeed giving off the immense reiatsu he felt before. He decided to walk up, introduce himself, and hope for the best. "Hello, I'm Kenta Mariko. Pleased to meet you!", Kenta said whilst extending his hand for a handshake.

Henrex's eye turns to his left, hearing someone speak up. He whipped around, hand on his sword, and glared at the stranger. He gritted his teeth, upset by all the attention this was getting. His mind glared with a single thought, which was not exactly a pleasant thought, but not a extreme negative thought either. He tried to calm himself down, but it wasn't working. He was getting a bit agitated from the large amount of attention he was getting, which he despised, but also was nervous about this "Zen" person's spiritual power. His pressure could overwhelm his own and remove the spiritual seal on his back, which would tear his shihakusho, revealing a little secret on his back.

"Great.....more and more show up...."

Henrex slowly started to draw his sword, his eyes narrowing, and his grip tight on the hilt of his sword. He scanned the newcomer up and down, seeing for any signs of aggression, or if this person was going to attack. He looked deep into this person's eyes, seeing kindness in his eyes. The grip on his sword loosened, as he took a silent breath of relief that he would not have to fight....at least not right now. He stood up straight, composing himself quickly. He readjusted his scarf and shihakusho, hiding most of his midsection. He could feel the spiritual power he placed on his back fluctuating, which was a decently bad sign. He had wings on his back, and he used some of his spiritual power to forcibly make them smaller, and if one were to see them as they were now, they would just look like wing tattoos, but once he releases his spiritual power and lifts that little seal, those wings would grow massive, which would make the situation he's in much more awkward. Henrex quickly cleared his mind, leaving him calm once again. He quickly took one last breath, and spoke with his partially deep, quiet, and robotic voice.

"Now then.....who are you?"

"As i said before I'm Kenta Mariko", Kenta said with a spritely smile. He was bewildered by the mans apparel, covering most of his body. He had learned better than to ask questions though. The worst foot to start on was an offensive one. He noticed another man too, standing behind the one covered in garments. Kenta felt somewhat weakened even being near this man, as his spiritual pressure was so immense compared to Kenta's own. Kenta extended his hand for a handshake once again and politely asked what the man's name was. He felt as if the man in front of him was somewhat annoyed by his presence and Kenta thought of finding another spot to go and relax. He decided he would stay however due to the fact that the citizen in Rukongai truly wasn't lying. The reflection of the cherry blossoms on the crystal clear lake was in fact a sight to behold. Kenta knew that if there was any place to attempt a connection with his Zanpakutō, this would be the place. The only thing on his mind for now however, was whether or not he could get along with two men in front of him, and finally learn their names.

Zen wasn't too happy that Henrex didnt know who he was! Or even recognized him! What the heck! It might have been the performer in him, but he used to be a captain! He could excuse that from someone that wasnt at the seretei but not from someone that was there! He flash stepped back onto the land to try and confront him, but someone else had appeared.

Zen could tell that this shinigami was a much newer soul, and was actually weaker than he was. That suddenly reminded him. HE WAS EXERTING ALL HIS PRESSURE! This wasnt good. Captain levels of spirit pressure could induce paralysis and trouble breathing if those around arent used to this kind of pressure.

Before talking or shaking the new man's hand, he had to control his reiatsu. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He stayed like this for a few seconds. As he did those around him could feel the spirit pressure of the former captain start to receded as it flowed back into his body. This would allow the two men to rest easy, they werent going to die. Specially if it was just due to his mere presence. The surrounding areas, even some miles away could feel the strength wane and finally go out. Not everyone can control that much reiatsu, but living in the human world for so long gave him fine tuning of it, to make it almost disappear.

While he was doing this he felt something extra about Henrex. He had an extra concentration of reiatsu on his body. He didnt know what it was, but it wasnt very strong. IT was different from the rest of his body. Could It be a seal of sorts? That would be awfully strange for a shinigami to have. He probably wouldnt want to talk about it right now, but it would be something that he might talk to him in private later on.

He reached out his hand to Kenta ans said "My name is Zen. Third Seat of Squad 5 and former captain of Squad 13." After, hopefully, shaking hands with the new shinigami he stepped back and crossed his arms looking at them. "If you two are out here to try and communicate with with your Zanpakutō Spirits I could definately help ya'll with that." He said, opening himself up as a mentor for the young shinigami and the older shinigami.

Henrex's eyes widened as the spiritual pressure of Zen dropped, and then he staggered for a moment before quickly regaining his footing. His eyes returned back to his normal, narrowed state, then he started to walk away. He was only thinking one thing while he did: Get out of there....ASAP!

"The seal on my back won't last for much longer with this guy's spiritual power....I have to get out of here...."

Henrex managed to get to a few of the trees in the sakura forest before he needed to lean against a tree for support, not realizing what was happening from Zen's spiritual pressure. He gritted his teeth from the sudden lifting of the pressure, before sliding down, now in a sitting position as his Cyberbrain basically went MENTAL. It was trying to reboot and process the sudden lift of spiritual power, but the cybernetics in the system was overloading, which lead one of the systems in his eyes to shut down, leaving his blue tinted eyes returning to black.

"I've been around...those kinds of spiritual power....but no one has ever dropped them so suddenly....I didn't even realize I could barely breathe...or move!"

Henrex realized the seal on his back was about ready to snap, and he started to panic. He tried his best to keep the seal restrained, but it was too late. The seal was too far loose to be held back down now. He leaned back as the seal snapped, with the back of his shihakusho tearing, revealing two massive black wings on his back, which grew to about half the size of the height of the tree his was leaning on, which was decently tall. The wings partially glowed with Henrex's spiritual power, which the color was purple, with a black outline.

"Crap.....it's done....I can't restrain them now...I'd need to get back to my room to do it...there's too much spiritual power here..."

Henrex looked over at the two Shinigami, not sure of what to do, due to the very...awkward situation he was presenting with the two wings on his back....all he really could do...was wait for what they would say...